DMC takes a big step in providing better healthcare in the community

By Elsie Aquino/Tell Us Detroit

DETROIT (Tell Us Det) - As the United States’ Supreme Court upholds mandate for its’ citizens to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty (tax) beginning in 2014, Detroit Medical Center (DMC) announces plans to purchase ProCare Health Plan, Inc., a Detroit-based Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) that offers health care coverage to Medicaid beneficiaries. ProCare was founded by Dr. Augustine Kole-James and has been a licensed HMO since December 2000. It serves Wayne County.

The purchase requires approval by the state including its Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation. If approved, this will become the fourth purchase in a year of a Medicaid HMO in Michigan.

According to a statement made by Mike Duggan, CEO of DMC, “Our acquisition of ProCare better enables us to capitalize on many of the State and Federal initiatives in providing care, particularly to special needs populations. The future of health care is in achieving better health for our community, better health care for our patients, and lower costs”. The CEO added that DMC “is moving from a hospital system to a health care system. In a health care system the patient-physician relationship becomes the center of patient care. DMC’s structure and expertise in working with its physician community keeps the focus on caring for patients even when they’re healthy.”

“The future of medicine isn't in hospitalizing as many people as possible. It's in managing their healthcare efficiently to keep them out of the hospital and where hospitalization does occur, to get them home as quickly as possible, “ said Carrie Harris-Muller, President Michigan Pioneer ACO." An important component to good health is patient, physician and hospital communication.

DMC’s electronic medical records in the hospital and at the doctor level, enables DMC to be a leader in providing better patient care. Visit; www.dmc.org for the latest.